Out on Your Corner in the Pouring Rain
by ChaosRocket
Summary: Cartman has wanted Kyle forever, but once things start to develop between them, will he really be happy with what he gets? (Kyman, post-high school fic)


AN: Warning for slurs and other possible disturbing content (this is a South Park fic from the POV of Eric Cartman, so, you know.) No explicit sexual content but a high T rating for mentions of sexual situations. Slight mention of Stendy. My first South Park fanfic! Constructive criticism welcome. Please review!

Someone once said Kyman is one-sided and toxic. That's why I love it.

* * *

It all started at Token's house. They were graduating high school, and Token, being the richest of them all, was the one to throw a huge party. Nearly everyone from their class was there, as well as several underclassmen and even some kids from out of town.

Stan and Wendy are sitting on the floor, leaning their backs against a wall, their arms wrapped around each other, Stan occasionally taking a sip of beer. Eric Cartman is sprawled a few feet away from them, pretending to listen to their inane chatter about their summer plans, and the college they'll both be attending that fall. In reality, he's keeping an eye on Kyle, which, if he were honest with himself- which he wasn't- he did pretty much any time Kyle was in his vicinity.

At first, Kyle isn't doing too much of interest, just leaning against a table, talking to some guy. Eric can't place the guy at first, but then he realizes it's that weird foreign kid who seems to perpetually have a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. Christophe, Eric realizes after thinking about it for a few seconds. Eric doesn't think too much of it, but then Kyle's demeanor changes- he suddenly seems far more animated, gesturing with his hands as if he were angry. Eric is too far away to tell what Kyle is saying over the noise and music of the party, but now Christophe seems to be acting irritable as well. Kyle glances around, as if he's checking to see if anyone is watching, and Eric instantly looks away. When he looks back up, he sees Kyle slipping into a room, closing the door after him. He no longer sees Christophe.

Eric turns to Stan. "Uh, did Jewboy just go into a bedroom with that foreign kid?"

Stan looks confused for a moment, but then something seems to dawn on him and his eyes widen. "Really, _here_?"

"What do you mean, _here_? Is this something they normally do, just not in places like this?"

"Nah, dude, that's not what I meant..."

But Eric is already up, leaving the hippie and his bitch girlfriend behind, and he just hopes for their sake they don't try to follow him. He knows he should have been more discreet, made some kind of excuse, but he's seeing red and can't be bothered with such things at the moment. He stalks across the room, towards the door he saw Kyle disappear behind. He's trying to look calm and slow himself down, and it's maybe not working, but he doesn't think anyone really notices- they're too busy drinking and dancing and making out.

Right as he reaches the door, the foreign kid with the mussed up hair walks out. So he _was_ in there- he briefly considers punching him in the face, but settles for shoving him out of his way, hard, as he heads into the room.

Kyle is sitting on the bed, his face red- Eric can't tell if it's because he's been drinking, or because he's been been crying.

"Get out of here, Cartman!" Kyle's voice cracks a little, yet also seems on the edge of slurring, and Eric thinks maybe both his guesses were right.

After this Eric's memory blurs a little, the conversation is some emotional crap he doesn't pay much attention to, just him going through the motions of asking Kyle what's wrong in a way he thinks must be socially appropriate. To his surprise Kyle actually opens up to him, spilling his feelings and telling him that he'd been dating Christophe for quite a while but Christophe had just broken up with him because of the fact that they were going to different colleges. Eric laughs and calls Kyle a homo, trying to hide his joy at his newfound knowledge that Kyle is actually into guys, and asks why he'd even want to date a fucked up British kid who always rants that God screwed him over. Kyle corrects him and tells him Christophe is French, and Eric says Kyle probably only liked him because he seems edgy.

Kyle shoots him an angry look that somehow seems sad at the same time, and that's when Eric puts his hand on Kyle's and tries to comfort him. He murmurs some random nothing-words to him, the kinds of comforting things he's seen lovers say to each other in movies, because he knows Kyle wants him to be like that, that Kyle wants him to act like he cares in some kind of prescribed way, the way other people do.

Then Kyle turns to him and has a soft look in his eyes, and Eric is astounded to see that his act has worked- but he quickly realizes he shouldn't be that surprised. He briefly flashes back to incidents that happened when they were just kids- Kyle's party at Casa Bonita, Kenny dying in the hospital.

Before he can even think about what he's doing his hand comes up to cup Kyle's face and he leans in slowly, slowly, barely able to believe Kyle isn't shoving him away, and then their lips finally meet and Eric can't contain a quiet little gasp. He moves closer and kisses him again, their bodies pressed together now, and slides an arm around Kyle's waist.

He knows he touches Kyle's face a little too softly, that he kisses him a little too tenderly, that he noticeably trembles when Kyle's arms finally come up to encircle him- but oh God he's wanted this for _so long_ and he just can't help it. And Kyle is drunk, he won't remember these little details.

He stops before things go too far, and tells Kyle he wouldn't want to have to put up with hearing him whine later and claim he was taken advantage of when he was drunk and distraught.

* * *

Kyle seems to appreciate Eric's discretion- later that summer, he comes to him again, and this time he's sober and of sound mind and Eric doesn't have any compunction about taking his clothes off.

Kyle never does want to have penetrative sex with him, but he sucks on Eric's cock and balls and lets Eric do the same to him and he loves it. Eric starts to become comfortable with this new stage of their relationship. He can't believe he's with someone _like him_ but he is and somehow it feels right and inevitable. This is against everything he's ever stood for. This is everything he's ever wanted.

* * *

They're walking down the street together and Eric reaches out to grab Kyle's hand, a gesture that seems natural and right to him- he doesn't think anything of it at all, and it doesn't even occur to him that Kyle might pull his hand away, but Kyle does, immediately jerking his hand out of Eric's grip.

Eric stares at him, wide-eyed. "Ey! What the fuck, Jew?"

Kyle gives him a look of disdain. "I'm not your boyfriend, Cartman."

"So that means I can't hold your hand? What, are you ashamed to be seen with me?" He says it sarcastically, but Kyle glances down and Eric suddenly has the sinking feeling that it's true. "You should be proud to be seen with me! You should feel _honored_ that someone as awesome as me would even touch a dirty ginger Jew like you, let alone in public!"

Kyle just rolls his eyes. "I thought you said I was a daywalker, not a ginger."

"That's beside the point. The point is, you should feel lucky that I'm willing to let everyone see that we're-"

Kyle scoffs, interrupting him. "So that's what this is about? Some kind of possessive thing where you want to, I don't know, claim me or something, for everyone to see? Like back in elementary school when you found out I was dating Nicole and told everyone I was gay and in a relationship with you?"

Eric is momentarily stunned that Kyle has made this connection, but his surprise doesn't last for long- after all, Kyle is the smartest person he knows besides himself, so of course he'd figure something like this out. Really, it was fairly obvious. "So you know I've always-"

"Always _what_?" Kyle asks sharply, and that's when Eric realizes that he doesn't know, not really. "Always wanted to embarrass me and ruin my life? Yeah, I kind of figured that out. Do you know how long that rumor followed me, how many potential relationships it messed up?"

"Well, look on the bright side. If those relationships hadn't been messed up, you wouldn't have gotten to experience the godliness that is me, so I'd say that's a win for both of us."

Kyle rolls his eyes again. "Whatever, fatass. I'm still not going to hold your hand in public."

* * *

Eric is lying in bed next to Kyle. As always, after their fight had passed, they'd ignored that it had ever happened, going back to their usual relationship. When they were younger, _usual_ meant their strange, volatile friendship- now, _usual_ means their strange, volatile friendship that also includes sex. Right now, the sex has already happened and Kyle is asleep, snoring softly next to him, but Eric is awake, thinking, his hands laced behind his head.

Finally, he takes out his cell phone and pulls down the covers gently so as not to wake Kyle, holding the phone above them as he puts an arm around him, clicking to take a picture that captures them in all their naked debauchery. He sends it to everyone in their class.

* * *

Kyle is enraged, almost more than Eric thought he would be. He shoves Eric, hard, hard enough to send him sprawling onto the ground.

"You bastard!" Kyle screams. "How could you do this? How much of a psycho are you?"

Eric turns his head and spits on the ground. In his mind it's a play, and he's spitting out blood, showing how he's injured but still tough. It's not a play, though, and there's not really any blood in his mouth- Kyle only shoved him in the chest. "Guess you'll have to get over being ashamed to be seen with me, now that everyone knows."

"So that's why- of course." Kyle sighs in resignation. "Fuck off, Cartman," he says, without the heat Eric would have expected considering his earlier tantrum. "I never want to see you again."

Kyle starts to walk away, but then he turns. "I'm serious."

Eric doesn't believe him.

* * *

Eric is right not to believe him. Kyle comes back to him, like he always does. Like he always has. They start having sex again- or what passes for sex between them. Kyle falls asleep in his arms and whispers that he knows he shouldn't still care about Eric but can't help it.

By this time, Kyle has gone off to college and Eric only sees him on breaks.

This is alright with Eric. He doesn't know if he could stand to have a lover around day in and day out, like they were married or something. Everything is good.

* * *

"So, I've met someone," Kyle mentions casually one day, while they're at a restaurant having a dinner Eric is paying for.

Eric is beside himself and Kyle can't even understand why. Eric didn't think things would change. Everything was just how he wanted it, and now it was suddenly different.

"I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong idea."

Eric doesn't know what to say. He's never loved anyone else. He doesn't think he _can_ love anyone else, and that shouldn't bother him but does.

"Cartman, I just don't think we're compatible."

"We've been friends since we were in preschool, how the hell is that not compatible?"

Kyle spreads his hands helplessly, as if he can't believe he actually has to explain this. "I'm Jewish, and you hate Jews. You're racist and sexist and you've done some _really_ fucked up things, a lot of them _to me_..."

Eric wants to say he can change, but he can't and they both know it. Instead, he says, "You know, when your family moved to California, when you were caught in that storm...I was the one who came and saved you. Because I couldn't stand to be without you. I never wanted you to know."

Kyle's eyes soften, like they did the night they first got together. But all he says is, "I just didn't think you expected this thing between us to be permanent."

Eric glares at him.

"But I'll always be your friend."

Eric never sees him again.

* * *

AN: Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think!


End file.
